Steam heat humidifier



May 10, 1966 c. J. SMITH STEAM HEAT HUMIDIFIER Filed June 10, 1965 F l G 5 INVENTOR.

CLAYTON J. SM/TH United States Patent 3,250,472 STEAM HEAT HUMIDIFIER Clayton J. Smith, 2108 Cashin St., Flint, Mich. Filed June 10, 1965, Ser. No. 462,876 1 Claim. (Cl. 237-78) My invention is directed toward humidifiers adapted for use with steam heating systems employing finned pipes or coils as radiators of heat.

It is an object of my invention to provide a new and improved humidifier which can be secured to any finned pipe or coil to increase the humidity, during the heating season, in the region to be heated by said coil, the water being obtained from condensation of steam in a steam heating system.

Another object is to provide a new and improved humidifier of the character indicated wherein the water supplied thereto and released therefrom is automatically regulated as required by the demands of the humidifier and is automatically obtained as desired from condensed steam.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved humidifier of the character indicated which can be manufactured easily and inexpensively.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of my invention will now be explained with reference both to this specification and to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side cross sectional view of my humidifier in operative use;

FIG. 2 is a detail cross sectional view of a valve of steam employed in my invention to control the condensation of steam;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a valve and that employed in my humidifier;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a condenser section of my humidifier; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a water release section of my humidifier.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, there is shown a horizontally extending finned heating coil secured for example to the baseboard of a wall, one end of a coil 10 being coupled to a vertical supply pipe 12 through which steam is fed into the coil for heating, the steam thereafter exiting through exhaust pipe 13. Pipe 13 in the region adjacent the coil contains a one way check valve 15 permitting steam to pass through in one direction. When the steam pressure builds up to a predetermined pressure, the cap 17 is forced off to act as a safety release. After the steam pressure builds up to a selected lower valve of predetermined pressure, the steam passes through a hollow feed line 14 and opens pressure operated valve 19, passes through a second feed line 21 into the bottom end of a condensation coil 25 mounted in a small chamber 23 in a fiat hollow copper tank 22. The steam passes through the coil and is cooled in pasasge to be released at the top end of the coil and condense on the walls of this chamber. The water this produced collects at the bottom of the chamber, and under the pressure of the discharged steam is forced through tubing out of the top of the chamber and down into the main portion of tank 22 into the inlet port 24 of a valve 26 resting on top of the floor of the tank. Water feeds upward from the inlet port through the orifice of an opening 28 to an outlet port 29 of the valve and out through the sides thereof into the tank. A vertical steel needle 30 has a bottom tapered point 32 adapted to be moved into and out of registration with opening 28 which acts as a valve seat. Needle 30 extends upward through the valve body. The upper end 3,250,472 Patented May 10, 1966 "ice 32 of needle 30 is threaded and receives nut 34. A wash er 36 is soldered to-the bottom of nut 36 and presses downward on the top' end of a compression spring 38 circumferentially disposed about the upper part of needle 30. The lower end of the spring rests on top of the valve body. A bolt 40 extends horizontally outward from nut 34 through one end of a curved member 42 to a securing nut 44. The other end of curved member 42 is secured by a cotter pin 46 to one end of a horizontal float arm 48.

' A brass rod 50 extends vertically downward from arm 48 to a horizontal float 52. Consequently water flows into the tank. When the water reaches a preset maximum level, the float arrangement forces point 32 into the seat to cut off the flow of water. When the water level falls, the float arrangement raises point 32 and permits more Water to flow into the tank.

Tank 22 has an outlet drain 54 connected to one end of a horizontal tube 56 extending over coil 10. The other end of tube 56 is sealed. Water flows by gravity from the tank into the tube. Tube 56 has an elongated slot 58 extending along the top surface of the pipe horizontally. An elongated member 60 of fibrous material acts as a capillary or torch. Member 60 has in cross section the shape of a Y, the bottom leg 62 of which rests in slot 58 and picks up water from the tube. The inclined legs 64 and 66 release water to the hot air rising from the coil whereby the humidity is increased.

The tank and tube can be anchored to the fins of the coil by split chips soldered on tank and tube. Depending upon the size of the room in which my invention is to be placed and also upon the humidity requirements, extension lengths of tubing can be added to tube 56.

The steel needle valve stem can be threaded through a nut which can be turned clockwise or counter-clockwise to provide an adjustable setting of the water level. A pressure regulator can be installed in the system to maintain constant water pressure on the valve to avoid, to minimize or eliminate fluctuations in pressure thereon.

A dirt strainer can be installed in the supply line from heating system ahead of the regulator and needle valve to keep valve seat clean of dirt and scale, and maintain a perfect valve seat.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

In combination with a horizontal finned heating coil connected both to a steam supply pipe through which steam flows into the heating coil and a steam exhaust pipe through which steam is discharged after leaving the heating coil, a humidifier comprising a hollow tank, a float operated water valve in said tank, a separate hollow chainber in said tank and spaced apart from said valve, first means including a condensation coil mounted in said chamber and coupled to said exhaust pipe to extract Water from the steam, second means conecting the condensation coil to said valve to pass water thereto whereby water flows into said tank to a level depending upon the setting of the float, a hollow pipe sealed at one end and extending horizontally over said heating coil, said hollow pipe having an elongated vertical slot extending axially therealong in the top thereof, a gravity water feed connection between saidtank and the other end of said hollow pipe whereby water flows out of the tank into said hollow pipe, and an elongated capillary wick having in cross section the shape of a Y, the bottom leg of the wick resting in said slot, the upper portion of said wick resting on top of said slot, said Wick drawing water out of r 3 4 the hollow pipe to release same gradually exterior to the 1,332,659 3/1920 Bates 239--44 hollow pipe. 2,054,705 9/1936 Mears 237--78 2,178,389 10/1939 Bentley 237-78 Refer nces Cite by the Examiner I 2,276,135 3/1942 Woolley 23'778 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2,471,949 5/1949 'Gilowitz 23944 97, 59 4 1902 Pratt 237 73 FREDERICK L. MATTESON, 111., Primary Examiner.

1,273,780 7/1918 Harvey et a1 23778 ROBERT DUA, Examinen 

